We returned to California on Monday morning, and have been recovering in the couple days since — the flight was exhausting, and Mio and I had been suffering from pretty bad allergies the last few days we were in Virginia. Dan joined us for our last weekend there so that we could attend Hanna and Tom’s wedding together! Hanna has been a dear friend of mine since college, and I was so honored to be a part of her wedding as a bridesmaid. We unfortunately didn’t get to take many pictures because I was occupied with bridesmaid duties and Dan was busy taking care of Mio, but here are some of the photos and videos from the special day!
The blushing bride!
Ashly and I before the ceremony
Me with the lovely bride! Hanna was the most gorgeous bride I'd ever seen!
Hanna's bridal bouquet that she made herself! Hanna put so much work into designing every detail of her wedding, and it really showed! She's a true artist. 🙂
Bridesmaids Ashly, Clara, and Liz
All dolled up
Ashly can't contain how happy and excited she is for Hanna!
Hanna walking down the aisle.
At the reception, Hanna and Tom shared a very romantic first dance together as husband and wife!
Hanna with the ladies after the bouquet toss... Helly caught the bouquet!
dance dance dance
Mio got in and danced with the best of them! Here’s a video montage of her “dancing” and running around at the reception. I had a fun time chasing her around for much of the time…
Anna with her Daddy... so sweet!
Mio with her Daddy!
The bestest and I
With Hanna and Akira. I didn't get enough pictures with Hannie!
The wedding was absolutely beautiful and totally fit the fairy tale theme that Hanna and Tom had envisioned it to be. We’re so happy for them, and wish them all the best in the journey they’re embarking on as husband and wife! Congratulations, you lovebirds! 😀
After the wedding, a bunch of us college friends met up for dinner at Tofu House in Centreville and caught up. I loved seeing everyone again; it felt like we never left Blacksburg!
Froyo after dinner
Our time in Northern Virginia flew by, and I’m sad that we had to leave so soon. Hopefully we’ll be back again soon! 🙂
There was a photo booth from Magnolia Photo Booth Co. at Jason & Tarrin’s wedding last Saturday, and we had a lot of fun with it! Such a great idea — a big thanks to the bride and groom for letting us indulge in it. Here are some of the memorable ones….
We were wondering what Mio would look like with a lot of hair. Now we know.
She’s doing the kissy-face, too!
Here I am as a jolly pirate (with a feather boa!) with my awesome coworker friends: Pharaoh Estella and adorable Sarah.
We decided we needed some more Allen family photos, so the three of us stepped into the photo booth once again… but Mio was sleeping. :(Â She retains the same face throughout with those bulldog cheeks, until the last one in which it crumbles from the frustration of disturbed sleep.
Estella, Mio, and I were lucky enough to get a photo opp with the lovely bride, Tarrin!
Our friends Jason and Tarrin tied the knot yesterday with a beautiful ceremony and reception at Mills College in Oakland. I’ve worked with Tarrin for the past four years and she is an awesome coworker as well as a wonderful friend. Tarrin and Jason are the type of couple everyone wants to be around — they are witty, fun, and oh-so-cute together. 🙂 We felt very lucky to be a part of their big day! (Even Mio was invited!)
Mio all dressed up for the wedding.
Thank you Megumi for the adorable dress! We love it!!!
Mio trying to eat her dress.
I love the embroidery!
Dan and Mio in the chapel, before the ceremony.
The ceiling of the chapel at Mills College. Beautiful!
Tarrin and Jason at the reception. I loved her dress!
Mio and I at the reception.
An apprehensive Mio.
With her big floppy hat.
My boss Emily holding Mio. For some reason, the way Mio has her hands clasped amuses me....
There was a photobooth at the reception, and we had way too much fun with it.
Max and I.
Dan holding Mio.
Us with the lovely bride and groom. Congratulations!
Estella and I with the gorgeous bride, Tarrin! 🙂
Brent trying to surprise Mio... lol.
The Waxcreative team (and babies) together.
Congratulations, Jason and Tarrin! We had a delightful time at the wedding, and look forward to many more years of continued friendship and memories with you two! Cheers to your happily ever after! ♥
We continue with our report of Day 2 in Hawaii! (If you missed Day 1, you can start here.) We had a packed schedule on Saturday, June 12, so we woke up early to get some breakfast — we stopped by the local McDonald’s.
The McDonald's in Laie.
Now before you go and judge us for going to a McDonald’s while vacationing in an exotic place like Hawaii, please take into consideration that the main purpose was to try this:
Spam breakfast from McDonald's.
Only in Hawaii will McDonald’s serve up spam breakfasts. Of course, I couldn’t eat the egg, so I just had a bite of Dan’s spam and ordered a cherry pie instead. The spam was not too bad! We then went on our way to drive over to Kualoa Ranch, where we had made a reservation to go on the super-touristy movie tour! The Kualoa Ranch is where famous films such as Jurassic Park, 50 First Dates, Pearl Harbor, Windtalkers, and Godzilla were filmed (along with a host of others that I can’t remember right now…). It was also used to film several scenes in the popular television show LOST.
Arriving at Kualoa Ranch
The bus we would ride for the movie tour.
Me frolicking while waiting for our tour to start.
Dan and I at Kualoa Ranch
Concrete bunkers that were used in WWII.
At a film location for Pearl Harbor.
They had some photos of Japanese celebrities who had come to visit the ranch:
Apparently Taka-san (Ishibashi Takaaki) from Tunnels had been there there... I am puzzled as to why he is in a bathrobe.
Japanese actor Tamaki Hiroshi, too!
You could see the ocean from the ranch.
Film location for Jurassic Park!
Hurley's golf course from LOST.
Ginormous footprint from the film Godzilla.
Where they filmed a scene in 50 First Dates.
The mountains seen from the ranch were really majestic!
Richard Alpert's home back in the "Canary Islands" in the TV show LOST.
You can see more photos from our movie tour at Kualoa Ranch here. Upon completing the tour, we jumped back into the car and drove down to Aiea, where we visited the historic sites of Pearl Harbor.
Arriving in Pearl Harbor.
The USS Bowfin - we didn't get to go on that tour because we didn't have enough time.
The anchor recovered from the USS Arizona.
We had limited time to spend at Pearl Harbor, but the one thing we wanted to make sure we saw was the USS Arizona Memorial. The USS Arizona Memorial grew out of wartime desire to establish some sort of memorial at Pearl Harbor to honor those who died in the attack, and it is accessible by boat.
On the boat that would take us to the USS Arizona Memorial.
Arriving at the USS Arizona Memorial
The wreckage of No. 3 barbette, one of the only parts of the ship that are visible above the water.
People walking around the USS Arizona.
A Pearl Harbor verteran stands before the marble memorial wall.
The USS Arizona is the final resting place for many of the ship's 1,177 crewmen who lost their lives on December 7, 1941. Their names are engraved on the marble wall.
You can see some of the ship wreckage underwater.
Pearl Harbor is definitely a sobering experience, as are most wartime memorial sites, but I am really glad that we went. I’ve always been very interested in American history, and so I was really glad that I was able to see firsthand the site of the attack of the “day which would live in infamy.” It meant a lot for me to be able to actually see the wreckage of the USS Arizona and to pay my respects to those lost. (See the rest of our photos from Pearl Harbor.) After leaving Pearl Harbor, we decided to check out the Aloha Swap Meet, which was also in Aiea. It is one of the largest flea markets in Hawaii.
The Aloha Swap Meet in Aiea.
Hawaiian goods for sale.
Painted coconuts.
The swap meet was interesting to look around in, but there wasn’t anything that was so amazing that we felt compelled to buy. It was definitely a neat place to look around and explore, though. After walking around so much at Pearl Harbor and at the Aloha Swap Meet, we were starving! We promptly headed over to Honolulu to enjoy a late lunch.
Coco Ichiban Curry House in Honolulu.
Dan got the shrimp katsu and stewed shrimp curry.
I got the asari (clam) curry with ebi fry.
The curry was amazing! Thank you Estella for the recommendation!!!
After lunch, we walked around Honolulu to see the area and do some window shopping.
Walking around Honolulu.
SPARK! A trendy clothing boutique my friend Tarrin recommended for their vintage clothes. There was a lot of cool stuff here! It's frequented by Japanese celebrities, too!
In the late afternoon, we headed over to the Kahala Hotel & Resort for the main event of the day, and one of the prime reasons we scheduled our Hawaii trip to be in mid-June: to attend our friends Yumi and Mark’s wedding. 🙂
Arriving at the ceremony location for Yumi and Mark's wedding.
The beautiful ceremony location: a gazebo by the beach.
Dan and I waiting for the ceremony to begin.
Unfortunately, there was no photo-taking allowed at the ceremony, so we snuck in a few right after the ceremony, when the bride and groom were taking group photos.
Yumi made a gorgeous bride!
Yumi and Mark's families
Lovely place setting - the plumeria was a pretty touch!
The bridal party kicking off the reception.
The bride and groom during the toast.
Amazing prime rib.
The dessert was almost too pretty to eat! But I still ate it... and it tasted just as good as it looked!
Cake-cutting time. They are so photogenic!
The sweet first dance... one of my favorite parts of weddings.
Bouquet toss!
The bride and groom at their sweetheart table, looking great!
Congratulations, Yumi and Mark!
We had to retire a little early and couldn’t stay until the very end of the reception, because we had to make the drive all the way back up to the Turtle Bay in North Shore, but we had a wonderful time and were so happy to be able to attend our friends’ big day. (More photos here.)
Cheers to their happily ever after! 末永ããŠå¹¸ã›ã«ï¼ï¼ï¼
Last week’s episode of The Office was the one we’ve all been waiting for the past five years. Jim Halpert and Pam Beesly, arguably television’s most adorable couple, finally tied the knot! The much-anticipated wedding celebration was aired as a special hour-long episode, and it wasn’t too over-the-top or outrageous — just the right tone of simplicity that is characteristic of my favorite TV series. Though it was surprisingly low-key for a wedding, it definitely had enough well-scripted lines and mishaps that it could have easily been a season finale, but instead it was a particularly awesome extended episode.
I love Jim and Pam, and have rooted for them since day one, from the very first episode of The Office — remember when Pam was engaged to Roy and Jim secretly loved her from afar? (And by “afar”, it was really just a few feet away, but she was still very much out of his reach.) And just when Pam had broken off the engagement with Roy, Jim had moved to the Stamford branch and had started dating Karen. For years, fans had to deal with the “will-they-or-won’t-they” tension and at times it felt like our favorite couple would never work out. But then everything fell into place, and soon Jim and Pam were engaged and the rest is television history! Jim and Pam are unique in their relationship that, unlike the drama that surrounds a lot of primetime shows, there is the assurance that the two are soulmates and that although there may be the occasional quibble or obstacle (as there is in with any couple), their love is built to last. “There won’t be the spouse who thinks they’re making a mistake, or the ex who comes and tries to break it up,” executive producer Paul Lieberstein says, citing two common examples of TV-wedding drama. Instead, he thinks the show will play as if “you’re going to a friend’s wedding, and they’re a good couple.” The Jim-Pam romance is a healthy one that is a rarity for television these days, and it may be what has carried it through the past five series so successfully. They are simply meant to be together.
This sure fact shone through the wedding episode, despite unforeseen disasters such as Pam’s old-fashioned grandma learning of some unexpected news, and Andy’s ripped scrotum. Jim’s speech during the rehearsal dinner was so touching (before he started the rambling that got him into big trouble), and brought us back to the aforementioned first moments before he and Pam were even together, when he was sure she was the one but all he could do was wait for her. And it was typical sweet Jim behavior when he clipped his tie to cheer Pam up when she was distraught over her ripped veil, and whisked her away to an unknown destination, just minutes before the wedding, leaving the rest of the office and relatives back at the church for an hour or so to wonder what’s going on. The icing on the cake is when Michael gets everyone to re-enact the viral YouTube video of the JK Wedding Entrance Dance (which I mentioned back in July), and hilarity ensues:
It’s during this segment that we see where Jim and Pam had disappeared to during those couple of hours — they’d run off to Niagara Falls to get married on a boat — and it was those little interspersed clips on the boat that made me tear up and cry.
Leave it to The Office to make me double over in laughter and get me choked up with tears, all at the same time.
